


Perfidious Albion

by tibididim



Category: The Libertines
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-01
Updated: 2007-01-01
Packaged: 2017-10-14 21:35:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/153684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tibididim/pseuds/tibididim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They weren't billing it as a reunion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfidious Albion

**Author's Note:**

> Written New Year's Day 2007, set vaguely in the future.

They weren’t billing it as a Libertines reunion; it was just meant to be a gig at which both Pete and Carl _happened_ to be onstage at the same time simultaneously playing musical instruments. They hadn’t even intended to play any Libertines songs- that was years past, no need to dredge it all up again- but Pete kept on looking at him with this strange sideways glance, and so eventually Carl leaned over and asked what he wanted.

Turned out that Pete- capricious as always- wanted to play some of their old stuff. “A couple of songs, okay?” he’d said. “You know that’s what the people here really want.”

“I’ll ask them,” Carl replied, half-unwilling to agree. He turned to the audience. “Pete wants to play a little something you might recognise; what do you say?”

The audience exploded with whoops and cheers. Someone shouted, “Can’t stand me now!”

Without thinking, he began the intro. He was regretting it almost as soon as he’d started; it was a weirdly emotional experience playing, of all songs, this one. But they were away, and it got easier.

He wasn’t sure how many people had seen what lay behind their freakish fucked-up friendship, but all that was over, anyway, and right now he felt like he could admit to anything, so he leaned over and kissed Pete (right in the middle of the song where the sodding harmonica part usually kicked in, except he’d forgotten it), a substitute for everything he’d never said.

The earth didn’t move, but the world didn’t end, either.

When he pulled back, Pete was smiling ruefully. “All gone,” he said quietly. “Pretty much.”

“I know,” said Carl.

“Thanks anyway,” said Pete, and then he was singing again, and after a little while even the taste of him was gone.


End file.
